She Came Around
by CountTheCrows
Summary: Emmett's musings about his life with Bay, including how she forgave him for his biggest betrayal.
1. Chapter 1

She Came Around

Emmett Bledsoe was not really one for believing in happenstance or coincidence. He didn't give himself up to a higher power or anything like that. He didn't like to read tarot cards or horoscopes or go to psychics, but he truly believed in his heart of hearts that there was _some_ reason the universe gave him this beautiful creature sleeping next to him.

He took her in with every breath. Everything about her was amazing. The way she moved, the look she got when she was concentrating really hard on a painting she was trying to do, but most of all, the fact that she forgave him. It had been many years ago when he made the worst decision of his life, and in a moment of weakness, cheated on Bay with Simone Sinclair. He still shook his head when that painful memory came to him, and even though it had been what seemed like forever ago, he still found himself disgusted with what he did.

He remembered the painful months without Bay, without the love of his life, without his soul mate. Even though people around him told him maybe he should give up, that he was only seventeen, there would be someone else, he refused to listen to them. There simply was no one else. The wall to others may have seemed manipulative, but it wasn't. It was simply what he wanted for him and Bay; forgiveness and the promise of forever. Thankfully, he ended up getting both, but not without some lonely nights, and though he tried to put on a brave face, you know, all that male bravado, he doesn't forget that there were quite a few nights he cried himself to sleep thinking about what he lost and how he might never get it back.

But Bay was kind, Bay was forgiving. She came around. Even more amazing was how she knew even in the months after their reconciliation that Emmett's mistake was still haunting him. She would put her hand on his cheek in those moments when the guilt would plague him and he would question why she took him back and if it was even what he deserved, and she'd say _"You need to stop blaming yourself. We're all imperfect. I love you, and that's all that counts."_

He smiled thinking about Bay being unwavering in her love for him. That mistake he could hardly believe was thirteen years ago. He sometimes needed to pinch himself to realize yes, this is real; he did meet the girl he'd be with forever at sixteen. And yes, forever. Bay Kennish was his forever, and to all the people who said it wouldn't work, well, they were simply wrong. The golden band on his left hand proved it along with the inscription, found on both of their rings, _"We are bigger." _

He looked over at his beautiful wife sleeping next to him, laughing a bit at the paint left on her face and a bit on her arms, but that was really what he loved about her most. She was dedicated. Although sometimes she'd be a bit too dedicated, and Emmett would find her sleeping in her studio. But it was that dedication that led to some of her most amazing paintings, like the one hanging in their bedroom featuring two sets of hands entwined. And Emmett would probably never admit this to Bay, because come on, he had to keep _some_ of his manhood, that his favorite part of the painting was the nameplate on the bottom. **Bay Kennish Bledsoe**.

It meant she was his.

He's not going to lie though. As amazing as their life together is, it's not perfect. They have had arguments, bad ones, but after you weather a storm as horrible as cheating, nothing seems as big. That was their big hurricane; the rest were thunderstorms, of course with some bad lightning, but being apart from each other those months years ago made them realize that the only way they can get through something is together. It made them appreciate each other more. Ironically, it made them stronger. It made them unbreakable.

There were times they rubbed each other the wrong way, but that's to be expected. They were both intense people and artists. Sometimes offering constructive criticism didn't end well. Sometimes they needed their space and when that happened Emmett would get on his motorcycle and Bay would retreat to her studio, but they would always come back to each other.

Bay never tried to force her ideals onto Emmett, and he respected the hell out of her for that. She also never tried to tell him she knew what it was like to be him. As much as they loved each other and knew each other inside out, there was a divide. He was deaf and she was hearing, and that was okay as long as they remembered they could still be amazing in spite of their different worlds. That's not to say they didn't try to bridge the gap. Bay was fluent now in ASL, but it's been thirteen years of being with him. It didn't happen overnight. And Emmett did continue speech therapy, although the times he spoke were rare, but Bay didn't care. She knew what his language was and he didn't need to speak for her to know that he cherished her, that she belonged to him, that without her he'd be a lonely shell, but that is probably because he told her that many, many times. It took a while for her to believe it because she wasn't used to being loved that intensely, especially after his little indiscretion. But he proved it to her time and time again, and it worked.

She came around.

She came around and forgave him and they were now a force to be reckoned with. There simply was no Bay without Emmett and no Emmett without Bay. That's just how it was. Their connection was visceral. They were bonded by an invisible cord. If he was scared or lonely, she felt it. If she was hurt, he felt it. Yes, people would think that is crazy, but it's true. A few years ago, Bay was in a really bad car accident. Emmett didn't need to get the text message to know something horrible had happened. He felt it. It overtook him, and the feeling was something he wished to never experience again. A few years before that, Bay was away at an art show when she got the same feeling. Turned out Emmett had gotten really sick with a high fever and needed to be hospitalized. She too never wanted that feeling again.

Feeling restless, Emmett got out of bed making sure to not wake Bay. He walked into the living room seeing one of their joint projects they did together. They did a lot of beautiful things together.

He turned and walked into a room, smiling at the blue paint on the walls, the same color that was left on Bay's face and hands. See, Bay was working on their newest project, the most beautiful thing they have made so far, the nursery for their son who would be coming in a few months.

Emmett smiled.

She came around, and because she came around, he got everything he had ever hoped for.


	2. Life is Perfect

Life is Perfect

A/N: Okay, so I decided now that SAB is on (another) hiatus, I need some good Bemmett feels. So this is the second part to "She Came Around," which features their life as a family. Enjoy!

It was a hot, but otherwise beautiful day in July, and everything was quite perfect in Emmett's life, except for his crazy (yet gorgeous) wife. Bay was completely in a wreck trying to get everything ready for their son, Dylan's, first birthday. Her raven hair was in a messy bun, and she had flour all over her face, a sight for sore eyes indeed.

"What?" She asked noticing her husband's raised eyebrows. It was only so much he could do to not laugh at how ridiculous she looked in an _apron_ no less. Bay did not cook. She may have had many talents, but cooking was not one of them. Didn't mean he didn't love the woman to death and wouldn't even know how to begin without her, but her cooking left something major to be desired.

"Where did you even get that?" He noted the apron. He wasn't even aware they owned one.

"From my mom." He smirked. "Shut up."

"I'm not saying anything," he said moving closer to her, "just thinking how good you would look in that and _just_ that." And smirked again. Oh god, his smile could make her weak in her knees, and that feeling alone made her want to punch him. They did _so_ not have time for this today. She had a million things to do.

"Emmett..." but it was too late, he was already kissing her neck in the way that made her want to knock all the plates off of the table like they do in movies and on television and get it on right there, but no. She must resist. She pushed him away. "No! Not now. It's your son's birthday!"

"Yeah, I know that, but don't you think you're taking this a little too seriously? Bay, he's one. He's not going to remember. And…"

"And what?" He pointed to the three cakes on the table.

"And you've made _three_ cakes." She looked at him like _he_ was the crazy one.

"One is vanilla, one is chocolate, and one is red velvet. Not everyone likes vanilla and chocolate." She sighed. "I just want this to be perfect for him. I want his life to be perfect." And suddenly to Emmett she looked like she was sixteen again, the face of the girl he fell in love with who had his heart from the very minute they began dating. "His life will be perfect because he has _you_ for a mom." He then kissed her softly on her forehead.

Damn, did he love her.

If it was even possible, watching Bay be a mother to his son made him love her even more. This was exactly what he wanted. A wife he was totally madly in love with, and an awesome son he adored as well. He looked over at Dylan, who was the spitting image of Emmett, down to the red hair. Bay complained after she gave birth that she did all of the work and he came out looking exactly like his father, but Emmett knew it was just in jest. In fact, Bay was more than happy that her son looked like her gorgeous husband.

Bay was a very good, doting mother, although Emmett did think at times she was a bit too overprotective. He thought of the time when he was only four months old, and Bay freaked because Emmett had forgotten his hat.

"Bay, he'll be fine," he said trying to soothe her.

"Emmett! It's November, it's cold, and he's a baby! His head needs to be protected." But Bay didn't let up and they ended up stopping at a store to buy him a hat.

Or the time when he came home with a toy motorcycle for him and a simple "Don't even think about it" from Bay ended up turning into a _huge_ fight between the new parents. Emmett thought it was ridiculous that they were even talking about their son having a motorcycle when he was barely crawling. He didn't know if it was hormones, but Bay was nuts.

"You're such a hypocrite. You always ride my motorcycle. It's a pillar of our relationship."

"I don't care. He is not going on one." Emmett scoffed.

"_He_ is _six months old!_ He's not going to be even thinking about riding a motorcycle for like fifteen and-a-half years."

Bay threw her hands up in the air.

"Um, no. He's _never_ going to ride a motorcycle, and I can't believe you would let him! You would let our son ride a motorcycle?"

Now it was Emmett's turn to be incredulous.

"Why not? My parents let me ride one. Are you saying my parents were irresponsible, or that I am?"

And things got uglier after that, but then they made up, as always.

His first cold was another _wonderful_ experience. He had been on a shoot, and suddenly found his phone bombarded with messages from Bay freaking out. She had even taken him to the emergency room. Of course he ended up being fine, and honestly, the fact that she was so concerned made Emmett realize how lucky he was to have Bay as his partner, and more importantly, the mother of his son.

Yes, they had some crazy moments, but they had some amazing ones too. There was nothing more wonderful than coming home and watching Bay teach Dylan ASL, or watching him bang on his little mini drum set, or seeing him sleep in Bay's arms.

He really didn't think life would turn out this well, especially after their first few years of coupledom. Starting from when Daphne decided she had feelings for him, to his parents' divorce and custody battle which led Emmett to cheat on Bay, their horrible, wretched break up, which still pained him to this day. But he had been determined to get her back, and he did, but even after he did, he still had to prove to Bay that he was worth it, that they were worth it. Luckily he was able to, but it was hard.

And now, life was really good. Daphne had been the maid of honor at their wedding, and to Dylan, he was Aunt Daphne. It wasn't just him and Bay who had come a long way; the fact that Bay considered Daphne her sister and introduced her as such spoke volumes. And though the band had long since been together, Emmett and Toby made sure to hang out at least once a month, whether it was going to a sports bar, or hanging out at one of their houses watching television.

Yes, as he looked around at the painting Bay did of the three of them, at their families gathered together, at Bay's three cakes, at Dylan, and lastly at Bay, he thought, _yes, life is perfect._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2: Welcome to Fatherhood**

**A/N: All right. I have decided to continue this story. It will show more of Emmett's life with Bay and Dylan, but it won't always be in chronological order. For example, this is going to be Emmett finding out Bay is in labor and remembering Bay telling him about her pregnancy as well as other stuff. I'll continue it as long as I can. Big thanks to **_**amykiseranders **_**for her reviews and the idea for this chapter.**

Emmett had been at a shoot, a rather boring shoot, when he felt it. He just knew that something was happening, and that it was happening with Bay. He couldn't help it. They were on a wire to each other. He guessed that's how you knew you belong with someone, when you feel what they feel without needing to be told, and maybe some people wouldn't believe him, but he didn't care. If he lost Bay, he didn't think he'd be able to survive. Oh, sure, he'd live, but he'd be a meaningless shell; just an empty soul wandering the earth. Without Bay, life wasn't worth a damn, and because of that, Emmett didn't _need_ to be told anything when it came to Bay. He just knew it instinctively, and he knew now that he needed to leave this shoot and go to her.

He checked his phone and there it was, the proof; text messages from Daphne, Toby, Regina and Melody all telling him that his wife was in labor. He hopped on his motorcycle so fast, even though he could practically see Bay yelling at him to slow down, that her son needed his father, but he didn't care. He couldn't miss this. This was about to be the moment he would never forget, the moment when his family became complete. It would be him, Bay, and their son. The Bledsoes.

He smiled thinking about that, about getting to introduce his family to people, getting to say _"This is my wife, and this is our son._" It just made it more real; him and Bay had made it, him and Bay were a powerhouse, and they were starting their own legacy. How awesome was that? Pretty freakin' awesome in his mind. He was about to be a dad! Okay, so he wouldn't exactly be Ward Cleaver. C'mon. It made him think about the time he and Bay were in bed one night, and Bay trying to coax him into buying a…no, he couldn't even say it. Ugh. A _Volvo_. He looked at her like she was insane.

"Well, what do you want us to do? Strap the baby seat to the back of your bike?"

"No, but you have a car. Why do I need to have one?"

"Because we can't just have _one_ car."

"And why is that?"

"Because." He smirked.

"Well, Mrs. Bledsoe. When you give me a reason like 'because,' how can I argue?" She threw a small pillow at him.

"Fine. Whatever. Keep the bike."

He put his hands on each side of her adorable face and pulled her into a kiss. When they broke away, he said; "Bay, I love you. I love you more than you'll ever know, but me being a dad doesn't mean I have to stop being _me_."

It was Bay's turn to smile.

"Of course. I'd never ask for anything different." Ah, right there. Bay just got him.

He made his way into the hospital parking lot, parked, and made his way up to the maternity ward. There he saw the whole Kennish-Vasquez clan, (minus Kathryn who was in the room with Bay he figured until he arrived) plus Melody and Cameron, all waiting for him. Daphne was the first to greet him and hug him.

"So, this is it. You're going to be a dad. How do you feel?" Admittedly, he was quite nervous, but also really excited, but to be honest, he just wanted to see Bay. Moreover, he needed to see her.

"I'm great. Where's Bay?"

He followed Daphne into her room where he saw Kathryn feeding Bay ice chips. She looked amazing. He breathed deeply and went over to her, kissing her on the forehead.

"How are you?"

She looked nervous, but he could tell she was trying to be strong.

"I'm good. Waiting for this little guy to get out. I'm sorry I didn't text you, but it happened so fast. One minute I'm watching television and the next my water broke." He sighed. Classic Bay. She was apologizing for not being the one to text him. Sometimes he wondered if he really knew that she saved him more than he saved her.

"It's okay. I don't care about that. I just want to be here, with you." Then he grabbed her hand.

He suddenly was feeling nostalgic, and thought back to a little over eight months ago when he came home one night and got the life changing news.

He could tell something was up with Bay the minute he stepped in the door. She just felt…off balanced and scared, even though she was trying very hard to pretend like she wasn't.

"Hey," she said walking over to him, kissing him. "I ordered Chinese. Is that okay?"

"Fine with me."

"Good. Good. That's….good."

He looked at her with suspicion.

"Bay, what's going on?" She grabbed his hand and took him to sit down with her on the couch. This was suddenly making him feel quite uncomfortable.

"I…um….I need to tell you something…"

"Okay?"

"I just want you to know, I didn't plan this. It just…happened. I mean…not that it just happened. I mean, I wasn't expecting it to happen."

He was going to be sick. He remembered a very similar conversation they had had many years ago where he confessed to sleeping with Simone. God, he wanted to throw up. He guessed he deserved this, but he didn't think it would come this many years later. Payback, right? So, what? She had a fling with someone? Okay, they got over it once; they could get over it again. Unless…unless she wasn't telling him she had a fling, but that she actually fell in _love_ with this guy? That would be unexpected, right? Oh god. Oh god. Was she leaving him? Did she want a divorce? No. No, that he couldn't handle. If she had cheated, yes, it would destroy him temporarily, but he needed her. He couldn't lose her again. He must have been so wrapped up in his thoughts because next thing he knew Bay was snapping her fingers in front of him.

"Emmett?"

He took a deep breath, preparing himself for the worst.

"I can't."

"You can't what?" He got up.

"I can't know what you're about to say." Bay looked confused.

"Well, you're going to _have_ to."

"No. Please, Bay, please. Just keep it to yourself." Now she stood up to face him.

"Oh, my god." She started to laugh a little. "You think I'm confessing to an _affair_!?"

"You're not?" She shook her head. "But you were saying it wasn't planned and unexpected."

"I would never cheat on you. You think I'd want to go through that again? You think I'd put _you_ through that?" A tear rolled down her face, then another one. Suddenly he felt like an asshole for accusing her of this. He was an idiot. He came up to her.

"Bay, whatever it is, I can handle it. I mean, as long as it's not _that_." She looked up at him through her tears.

"I'm pregnant." He wasn't sure she said what he thought she said.

"I'm sorry. Can you repeat that?"

"I'm. Pregnant." He got a smile a mile long. He kissed her, hard. When they broke away Bay asked, "So you're okay with this?" Was she crazy?

"Why wouldn't I be okay with this?"

"Well, I mean, we weren't exactly planning on kids right now. We talked about it, but no definite plans in the immediate future. We're not exactly prepared –"

He cut her off midsentence by kissing her.

"I don't care," he said after their kiss ended. "I don't care if we aren't prepared. This is _amazing_." He put his hand on her stomach and smiled again. "This is something _we_ made together. This is us in there. Of course I'm okay with it. Bay, I am so okay with this."

"Good. Oh good, because I really want this."

And suddenly he was brought back to reality being in the hospital room with Bay. The next few hours were tough, watching Bay in that much pain. She was pushing as hard as she could, but it killed him to see her hurt that much. Finally, Dylan made his way into the world, but then the unthinkable happened. The nurse came over and placed the newborn in Emmett's arms, and just as Emmett was bringing him down to face Bay, their world started to crumble. Bay became unresponsive and though he couldn't hear the monitors, he could clearly see that her vitals were failing, and the urgency became apparent.

Doctors rushed in and someone took Dylan from Emmett and ushered him out of the room, but Emmett wasn't leaving Bay. He didn't give a fuck if they didn't understand him as he signed wildly; "What is going on with my _**wife?**__" _But nobody would tell him and he eventually was pushed out into the hallway with the rest of the family.

This wasn't happening. This just wasn't happening, he thought as he paced around the hallway. How could life be so cruel? Why was he getting a son and getting his wife taken away from him? Didn't whoever was up there realize what she meant to him? Didn't they realize that he would crumble if he was told she was gone? He felt numb.

Daphne came up beside him as tears strolled down his face.

"Daphne…what is going on?"

"I don't know, Emmett. I wish I did. I guess her pressure must have dropped. You know, sometimes that can happen after labor."

"What if…what if something happens to her? Daphne? What if something happens to Bay?" Daphne brought Emmett away from the doorway to sit down on a chair.

"You can't think like that. You need to think positive. Think good thoughts."

And so he did. He thought about a few months into Bay's pregnancy when they were talking about what the sex would be. Emmett wanted a girl, while Bay hoped it would be a boy.

"You want a son?" He asked incredulously.

"Why not? I think I get along much better with guys," she said winking. Ha. Funny one, she was. "

"Well, I want a daughter." Bay laughed out loud.

"You would be so overprotective if we had a girl. You would never let her date."

"Damn straight."

Emmett smiled thinking about that. He looked at the clock. It had been twenty minutes. What the hell was going on? He tried to take Daphne's advice though and keep up the positive thoughts.

He thought about Bay's sonogram telling them that Dylan was going to be a boy. Bay beamed, and Emmett did as well. Yes, he had wanted a daughter, but a son was pretty awesome as well. The second after the sonogram was done, Bay ran to Barnes and Noble to pick up a baby name book.

"What about Elijah?" Was she serious?

"No."

"Why not?"

"_Elijah Bledsoe?_ What is wrong with you? Why do you hate our child?" She shrugged her shoulders.

"I think it sounds cool."

"I think it sounds like our kid is going to get his ass kicked." Bay pouted. "No," Emmett said shaking his head. "You may think you can pout your cute adorable lips, and I'll say yes, but no way. Not on this." She sighed.

"Fine. What about Ty?" Emmett glared at her.

"As in your _ex_-boyfriend?" Bay just smiled. The little vixen; she was getting enjoyment out of this, wasn't she?

"I can't believe you're still jealous about that. It was like fifteen years ago." Emmett scoffed.

"I'm not jealous." Okay, he was. He hated that Ty had been with Bay. Well, not been in the biblical sense, but had a relationship with her. He hung her paintings on his army tank for Pete's sake! How could he not be threatened by that? Yes, it was forever ago, but the thought of anyone else with Bay made him insane. Truthfully, maybe it was because he just felt so inadequate and unworthy, especially after the cheating. For a few years after a part of him was waiting for Ty to come back and swoop in with declarations of love and logic like "But he cheated on you! I'd never do that." And then he'd have no leg to stand on.

"Okay, whatever you say. How about Dylan?"

"Another ex of yours?" She punched him lightly in the arm.

"No, doofus. As in like Dylan Thomas." Emmett stared blankly at her. "The poet? 'Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night'? _Seriously, _Emmett?"

"What? I've never heard of him." Bay shook her head. "But I like the name Dylan."

Bay smiled.

"Okay, then. Dylan it is."

He looked back up at the clock. It had been forty-five minutes. He felt like he couldn't breathe. He tried to think about a life without Bay, and it just wasn't possible. He couldn't do this alone. He couldn't raise their son alone, without Bay. He couldn't physically do it, and he couldn't do it emotionally either, look at this child they created together that Bay had carried and be reminded of her day in and day out and not have her by his side. He said a silent prayer to God to let him have Bay. He didn't care if they ended up poor; he just needed Bay.

Finally, a doctor emerged and came over to him.

"Mr. Bledsoe?"

Emmett nodded, and Regina came up to him to help interpret even though his lip reading was quite good.

"Bay is going to be just fine. We had a bit of a scare. The labor took a lot out of her, but she's stable now, and I think she wants to see you."

Emmett sighed deeply. Thank God. He walked in to see Dylan in Bay's arms.

"Don't you _ever_ do that to me again. Okay?" Bay nodded. He looked at his son and his wife. All of the sudden he felt a hand tap him on the shoulder, and turned to see John.

"All I can say is, welcome to fatherhood."

Emmett smiled contently to himself and thought, yes, welcome to fatherhood indeed.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Holiday Joy

A/N: I started writing this around the holidays. Of course, it being March now probably seems out of season, but oh well. It is fluffy.

Emmett stood next to a very nervous Bay as she held a six-month old Dylan in her arms waiting in a very crowded mall to see none other than Jolly Old Saint Nick himself. Yes, they were taking Dylan for his first visit to Santa. Emmett could sense the uneasiness in his wife.

"What's wrong?" Bay sighed. She didn't want to come off as too overprotective, even though Emmett loved that Bay was so attentive when it came to Dylan, but he suspected she was a bit ashamed. Bay never wanted to be one of_ those_ girls when it came to anything, and she certainly didn't want to be one of those mothers who didn't let their children breathe.

"I just am worried that he'll hate it and this will become one of those early psyche-scarring moments he talks about in therapy in twenty years from now when he's talking about how his parents screwed up his life."

Emmett couldn't help but smile a bit.

"Sitting on Santa's lap is going to send him to therapy?"

"Well, maybe. Look at him. He's fat, he's got a long white beard. He's _creepy."_

"Oh, my god," Emmett started to say, and that only got a look of confusion from his beloved wife, "_You're_ the one who is afraid of Santa!" Bay glared at him.

"Shut up."

But Emmett was too busy laughing, similarly to when Bay accidently signed that she was a _vegetable_ instead of a virgin. He couldn't help it. He really wasn't trying to be mean, but Bay was a woman over thirty who was really creeped out by Santa. Santa! The guy who came down chimneys and gave children gifts.

But Bay was not amused at her husband finding her childhood fear funny, so she smacked him on his arm, hard.

"You're such a jerk."

"Ow," Emmett said rubbing his arm. "You're violent."

"And you're mean," she countered, but she was smiling by that point.

"You obviously haven't met the right Santa yet. In fact, I think what we should do is when we go home and Dylan is asleep, I can dress up as Santa and see whether you're on the naughty or nice list. I kind of hope you're on the naughty one," and he winked.

Ugh. Why did he have to be so sexy?

"You do realize this is such an inappropriate conversation to be having as we're surrounded by children?" Emmett shrugged. But Bay had to admit she was a bit turned on. "What happens if I _am_ on the naughty list?"

Emmett smirked.

"You might find a very nice candy cane in your stocking." Okay, Bay kind of wanted to say _screw this, _put Dylan back in the car seat, and drive as fast (yet safe) as they could home and play Emmett's little scenario out. Truth to be told, it wouldn't be the first time they role played in their sex life. It wasn't often, but every now and then just to keep things spicy. But Bay knew this wasn't really about sex, it was about Emmett protecting Bay as he always did, finding a way to soothe her. To let him know it worked, she lay her head against his chest, and he kissed it.

Bay was content here with her little family. Dylan was so cute. Bay had dressed him in the cutest denim overalls over a red shirt with candy canes and on his head, which was starting to sprout very Emmett-like colored hair, was a Santa hat. Bay was hoping they would be able to use this for their Christmas card, although having two artists as parents made this a very hard decision. After all, Emmett's forte was the photograph; it's why he even insisted on bringing his very own camera to the mall.

"You do know we get a complimentary photo," Bay said as they continued moving up the line.

"But mine is so much better. And how can you compare it? I'm a photographer. That little punk –

"I think the PC term is elf." Now it was Emmett's turn to glare at his wife.

"Whatever. He's an amateur. How long have you known me?"

"Feels like forever." Emmett smiled.

"Have I ever passed up the opportunity to take a quality photo?"

"No, you haven't."

"Well, then, there you go. Our son's first meeting with Santa is a prime photo opportunity, and I'm not going to leave it to some punk elf."

"What do you have against some poor teenager working at the mall during the holiday season for a few extra bucks?"

"Nothing." But it wasn't exactly nothing. You see, Bay was a very pretty woman and as such, got attention. Emmett didn't want to let on to her, but one of the elves was definitely looking at her in a way that made his blood want to boil. Yes, it was stupid. The kid had to be maybe sixteen, but it was the principle of the matter! Bay was his, and as juvenile as it sounded, he really didn't want anybody else admiring her in that way. So, yes, the elf was a punk, _and if he doesn't stop staring at my wife, I'm going to make sure he ends up permanently on the North Pole_, Emmett thought to himself.

Finally they made their way up to Santa and Bay put Dylan on Santa's lap.

"Dylan, look at mommy and daddy!" Bay was waving her arms frantically. Dylan thankfully was having a very nice first Santa experience and was smiling and laughing wildly. Emmett shot some great pictures of Dylan, and even managed to get a few candid ones of Bay trying to make Dylan laugh. Emmett loved those candid shots, ones that really encapsulated Bay's beauty. She was a beautiful person, inside and out.

After their trip to Santaland was over, Bay and Emmett along with Dylan in tow decided to do some shopping. Bay would have found it hard to shop for a gift for Emmett if he hadn't been drooling over this amazing digital camera. Well, for $5000 it _had_ better be amazing. And for Bay, Emmett had a few ideas. Some new ostrich eyelash paintbrushes…and maybe something else. Suddenly the little devil over his shoulder did a little dance. Emmett handed Dylan to Bay.

"I've got to go get…something." Bay raised her eyebrows a little.

"What are you getting?" Emmett just winked.

"You'll see," he said and then he took off. When he came back, Bay was sitting with Dylan on one of the little benches eating a pretzel. She smiled widely when she saw him come towards them.

"What did you get?" She tried to peek into the mysterious nameless bag he had, but it was no use. When Emmett wanted to surprise you, he was going to surprise you. No if's, and's, or but's about it. He lightly shoed her hand away.

"No cheating. You'll see later." Bay sighed and pouted. Emmett just rolled his eyes and shook his head. "That won't work either."

"You're mean." That only made Emmett grin wider. Bay looked at her son. "Dylan, tell daddy that he's being very mean to mommy by not telling her what he got."

"No way! He's on _my _side. He's a man and us men have to stick together."

"I knew we should have had a girl. I'm outnumbered here."

"You're not outnumbered. I'm always on your side," he said while kissing her ever so softly. Then he put his arm around her as they walked out of the mall to the parking lot to get their car. Luckily traffic wasn't that bad so they made it home in a decent amount of time. And the rest of the night went by rather well. After putting Dylan to bed, Bay made her way into her and Emmett's room where on the bed was the aforementioned mysterious bag. "Open it."

Bay's eyes grew a bit wide when she saw that inside was a red-and-white negligee, with little fuzzy white balls on it.

"And what, pre-tell, am I supposed to do with this?"

"Wear it." He winked.

And so she did and man, did she look _amazing _in it. Emmett really did have the hottest wife around.

"Oh, I'm sorry Mr. Bledsoe, but it seems we have a problem."

"And what would that be?"

"You are most definitely on the naughty list," Bay said, noting the piece of paper in her hand. "Naughty little boys don't get toys for the holidays."

Emmett responded by grabbing his wife and tossing her onto the bed. He started kissing her in ways that she never knew existed. After some time he stopped. "Well, you know what? Naughty boys don't ask for permission."

"Good." Bay ripped up the "list."

It may have seemed corny to some, but for Emmett, he didn't need some expensive camera or flat screen TV to make not only his Christmas, but his life complete. He only needed two things, two people. One was asleep down the hall safely in his crib and the other was beside him in his bed rocking the hottest Santa negligee ever.

In the end, it's truly amazing how the simplest things in life such as family offer the greatest joy.


	5. Chapter 5

In Sickness, Health, Chicken Soup, and Vapor Rub

He knew something was wrong when the clock read 8:00 and Bay was still asleep instead of up with Dylan. Luckily Bay was faced towards him so he didn't have to get out of bed to feel her forehead. He gave her a light kiss to her temple and felt the heat emerging from it right away. He felt an internal groan. Bay was the absolute one hundred percent love of his life. There really were no words to describe how much he loved her and how he would fight literally to the death to keep her with him, but she got extremely cranky when she was sick. Emmett knew this from experience, and even though he normally took his husbandly duties in stride, wearing the role of husband as a badge of honor, _this _was the one thing he was dreading.

He got up, careful not to wake his poor, sick wife, and went to check on his son. Dylan seemed completely unaware that his mom had forgotten about him this morning. He was happily playing with some of his toys in his crib. When he saw Emmett, he smiled a smile a mile long. Dylan may have had Emmett's features, but when he smiled like that, he really emulated Bay. Seeing that smile gave such happiness to Emmett. He really had it all, well, with the exception of one extremely sick wife who was going to be hell on wheels to deal with once she got up. But it happens.

He walked over to his son and gave him a big kiss on the head. "Hey," Emmett started to sign, "I know you're probably confused. Mommy usually gets up with you, but we have a bit of a problem today. Mommy is sick and since daddy doesn't want _you _to get sick, he's going to call grandma Kathryn and ask if she can take you for the day." Dylan started to laugh. "You like that? I know you do. It sounds like an extremely fun day. Grandma and Grandpa Kennish have loads to do around the house. And you know what? It's going to be a lot more fun than my own day. You see, daddy has to take care of mommy and mommy, she's great right? You sir are lucky to have such a great mom, but when she's sick, she's mean." Emmett made the sign for 'monster'. Dylan laughed some more. "Well, not really. Your mommy could _never _be a monster."

Emmett felt his heart begin to palpitate faster. It was simply a side effect of his Bay. Whenever he thought about her, looked at her, touched her, he felt indescribable. He felt _whole_. Emmett wanted to talk to his son about love and women, but he figured he should feed the poor kid first. So, he picked Dylan up out of his crib and brought him downstairs into the kitchen, sat him in his highchair, and made him some breakfast. As Dylan was eating, Emmett decided to give him some life lessons, even if he wasn't even a year old yet.

"Like I was saying, mommy is not a monster. One day you're going to meet a really amazing woman who is going to drive you absolutely crazy, Dyl. I promise you. She'll make you abandon your ideology about life and what it was you thought you wanted. But then you get to know her and you realize that wasn't what you wanted at all and all you _really_ want is her and what she can offer you."

Dylan started to clap.

"Yeah. You'll do anything for her because she just gets you, you know? And the best thing is she offers forgiveness. You may be a little young to hear about this, but mommy and daddy don't want to raise you in a bubble. We may be your parents, but we're people too, and so you should know that when daddy was young, he made a really big mistake and hurt mommy…a lot." Emmett started to feel the tears weld up. "And he lost mommy for a while. He didn't think he'd get her back. Thinking about life without mommy for daddy is unbearable. But mommy _did_ come back and here we all are. What do you think about that?"

And in true baby fashion, Dylan spit up. _Well,_ Emmett thought, _I guess this is what I get for waxing philosophical with a nine month old_.

"Alright," Emmett said getting Dylan out of his highchair, "Let's get you cleaned up." He spent the next half or so cleaning him and changing him and picking out a pretty spiffy outfit if he didn't say so himself.

He then went back into the bedroom to get his phone and sat down on the bed. He felt Bay stir as he was texting Kathryn. She sat up, groggy as hell, and raised her eyebrows at him.

"What are you doing?" She said and then she noticed the clock. Emmett saw the alarm go off in her. She went to throw the covers off, but Emmett stopped her. "What are you _doing_? I have to go feed Dylan."

Emmett rolled his eyes. It annoyed him that when it came to others pain and happiness and emotional needs, Bay could be the most intuitive person in the room, but when it came to her own needs, she was oblivious.

"Bay, you're sick. You have a fever. I already took care of him. He's fine. He's happily playing in his crib." She looked at him, a mix of being impressed and pissed off.

"Who are you texting?"

"Your mom."

"Why?"

Emmett felt himself getting flabbergasted. "Because you're _sick_."

"No, I'm not. But even if I was, why do you need to ask my mom to take care of him?"

"Because I need to take care of _you_."

Bay snorted.

"Like hell I do. I'm not five, Emmett. I don't need you feeding me chicken soup and rubbing vapor rub all over me. And I'm not sick!"

"Fine. Prove it." Bay raised her eyebrows at him. "Go take your temperature and tell me what it says."

Ugh. She hated him when he acted like this. _Fine, _Bay thought, _if this is what his dumbass needs to prove that I'm not sick, I'll do it_. Of course she ended up being wrong. The thermometer read 102. Double ugh. Emmett was not going to let her out of bed. She'd be like a prisoner in this damn house. Not that it was a bad house at all, but Bay hated being sick and she hated being told what to do. She may have grown up a lot from being that teenaged girl who did street art; she was a mother and a wife, but she was still obstinate as hell and always a bit of a rebel. So, she decided to lie to him. She emerged from the bathroom.

"Not sick. 98.6. Perfectly fine."

_Bullshit_, Emmett thought. He walked up to her and grabbed the damn thing out of her hand. 102, as he suspected. God, he wanted to throttle her. What the hell? Lying to him about having a fever?

"What is the matter with you?"

"Nothing." He rolled his eyes.

"You don't want to be treated like a five year old? Don't act like one. Dylan is acting more mature than you right now."

She felt her face blush.

"I'm sorry, but you know how I get when I'm sick. I get stir crazy. I can't just sit in bed and do nothing."

Emmett gave her a hug not caring that he could get sick. It was worth then. Then he pulled back.

"I know you don't, but you need to rest. I need you back at full strength. We've been through this before. I warned you not to put me through anything like what happened when you gave birth to Dylan again. Even if it is just a little flu bug, I can't risk losing you. So, I don't care if you want to pout, but you're going to do it in bed."

Bay sighed. Emmett could make her do anything really. Anything at all. She loved him that much, and so she obliged and got back into bed. Emmett went into the bathroom and came out with a box of tissues. He kissed her on the forehead again.

"I'll be back. I'm going to drop Dylan off at your mom's. I love you."

"I love you, too."

By the time he came back about forty-five minutes later after stopping off to get himself a coffee and a bagel, Bay was fast asleep, which was what he wanted. He meant what he said. He couldn't lose Bay. She was his entire life. He thought about that fateful day in Bay's biology class when they were testing their blood types and was eternally grateful. What would have happened if she never would have found out she was switched at birth with Daphne? Who would he be? Who would he be with? He shuttered at the thought of not knowing Bay. It was simply fate he figured and went off to his study and sat down at his computer.

He was just starting to do some work in Photoshop when his phone buzzed. It was a text from Daphne. He smiled.

**Hey! I was just thinking about you guys. How is my adorable nephew?**

**He's good. He's with your bio-mama now. Your sister is sick.**

It was pretty crazy how things in life go. Emmett was eternally grateful that Bay and Daphne now considered themselves sisters, real sisters. That's how they described themselves to others and that made Emmett extremely happy because there was no competition between them anymore. Emmett loved Daphne purely and innocently like a best friend. She would always be his pal, his buddy, and Bay would always be his partner. He loved them both eternally and in different ways.

**Oh no! That sucks. Good luck! You know how she gets when she is sick.**

**Yeah, I know. She lied about having a fever.**

**LOL. Sounds like Bay. Well, I hope she feels better soon. Wilke and I wanted to go out with you two sometime soon.**

Emmett laughed. Life worked out really strange sometimes. There was a time he hated Wilke, but he had to admit, the guy cleaned up nicely. Came back from boarding school and went to college and really made an effort to learn ASL to be with Daphne. And he appreciated him for it. Daphne had quite a number of clunkers for boyfriends so when Wilke ended up being 'the one,' Emmett was happy. He knew Wilke wasn't always his biggest fan, but after hearing about the effort that Emmett put into repairing his relationships with both Bay and Toby, Wilke started to respect Emmett again.

**I hope she feels better soon, too. I would love to see you guys. When are you two starting to think about having a family?**

**;-) Soon. We've been enjoying practicing if you know what I mean.**

**Ew. Line. You. Crossing it.**

**Ha! Says the guy who told me Brooklyn Decker would want to make passionate love to him many times!**

**LOL. True that.**

**You sound like Toby. Well, I got to go. Tell Bay I love her and I hope she feels better. I'll talk to you later, Em.**

**Okay, I will. Talk to you later too, Daph.**

After his little text session from Daphne, he got to work. He loved working in Photoshop editing his photographs. It was amazing. Once he got started, he could be in there for hours, which is why he wasn't surprised when his phone started buzzing and he realized he had been at it for two and a half hours.

**Help. I'm being held captive.**

He rolled his eyes but laughed.

**I think it's illegal to do this to the person you're married to.**

He just shook his head.

**I'm bored.**

No, she was not going to win. He was not going to indulge her.

**Pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase. Emmmmettttttttttttttttttttttt. Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeee.**

Oh for crying out loud. He got up and walked to their bedroom and stood in the doorway holding his phone.

"Oh, good. You got my SOS."

"You really are the worst patient ever."

"I know. But you love me anyway."

Emmett nodded.

"That, I do."

"Want to watch some TV with me? _The Notebook_ is on."

"I'm not watching _The Notebook_."

Bay put her lips together to make the puppy dog frown.

"Stop it."

She continued.

He sighed and sat down in the bed beside her. "Do you want my testicles, too?"

"Oh it is not that bad."

"It's a total chick flick. Why can't we watch _Alien_ instead?"

"Because _Alien_ isn't on. And I'm sick so I'm the one calling the shots."

So they ended up watching the damn movie, although Emmett had to admit the one scene that always got to him when Bay made him watch this. It was the scene where Ryan Gosling's character, Noah (irony of all ironies) tells Rachel McAdam's character, Allie, that "It wasn't over. It still isn't over." Emmett could relate to that. It was never over with him and Bay even when it was technically over. But he tried not to think about that. Bay and him were never going to be "over" again if he could help it.

He looked at the clock. It was already nearly 2:30. He got up.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to make you something to eat. You haven't eaten all day, have you?"

Bay shook her head.

"I'll be right back."

When he came back, he came back with a bowl of chicken soup. Bay sighed.

"I told you I didn't need you feeding me chicken soup, Emmett."

Oh she was so damn stubborn.

"I know, but I'm going to do it anyway. I'm going to take care of you even when you don't want me to. I'm going to do it with you kicking and screaming because you, Bay Kennish Bledsoe, are my light. You're my soul. And one of these days you're going to get that."

Emmett put a spoonful of chicken soup into her mouth.

"I do get that. And I feel the same way. You're _my_ light and you're _my_ soul. I'm sorry if I've been such a pain today. You're not going to leave me for it, are you?"

Emmett let out a big laugh.

"No. I'd never leave you. Who would I be if I did?"

"Some poor lonely Deaf James Dean?"

"Exactly."

Bay finished her soup and Emmett brought the bowl back down into the kitchen and set it lightly in the sink. Then he came upstairs and laid down in bed next to Bay holding her hand as she slept.

Their marriage wasn't perfect. Bay wasn't perfect. Neither was he. She could be stubborn and they would have more days like this, but in the end, it simply didn't matter. All that mattered was they were together and willing to take anything that came as a couple, as a unit. And it was that notion that made him sure that they could weather anything that came their way, even if it was just the flu.

They were together forever. In sickness, in health, in chicken soup, and vapor rub.


End file.
